issue 6 - spring 2018 spotlight on the bigger picturegraduate, pur-sued a degree in early childhood...

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Spotlight on The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture

NewsletterIssue 6 - Spring 2018

By Dr. James Bell, Dean of Faculty It states the obvious to say that what

we do at Northwestern is important. Our work impacts the well-being of our students, our community, and our region, and in doing so safeguards some broader abstraction: Culture? Humanity, even? Certainly the fulfillment of our vocations resonates well beyond preparing students for careers, as important as that duty is. And yet we are all much more, still, than those vocations, a fact that is somehow easier to remember in midsummer than at midterms. We have interests and hobbies and relationships and diversions and burdens that define us well beyond our titles and job descriptions. As we count down the weeks until the first day of the fall semester, I wish Grady Paul Christian Bell

you a bit more time to revel in, sort out, and show off the entirety of who you are. I look forward to hearing about vacations and adventures and challenges soon. In the meantime, I’ll be splitting my time between deaning and granddadding.

Dr. James Bell, associate vice president for academics and dean of faculty, doing his best ‘granddadding’ on the day his first grandson was born, April 12, 2018.

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Twelve Northwestern students were recognized as Outstanding Se-niors at this year’s Spring Alumni Reunion Awards Ceremony. A committee selected Betty Naa Awula Abbey, Biraj Aryal, Rachel Carter, Blake DeMond, Audrey Es-tes, Megan Garnett, David Gutier-rez, Dana Kausek, Erin Norrie, Jean De Dieu Nshimiyimana, Osamu Sakamot and Trista Watson. This award honors outstanding graduating seniors and is sponsored by the Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association. Recipients must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5, have complet-ed at least 60 credit hours at Northwest-ern, have never been subject to academic or disciplinary action, have been involved in campus and/or community activities, and show prom-ise of future achievement.Outstanding

Seniors: Betty Naa Awula Abbey, an international student from Ghana, was a bi-ology major and chemistry minor. Biraj Ary-al, a Nepal na-tive, graduated

in December 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in computer science and a minor in mathematics. He obtained a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. Rachel Carter, of Alva, graduated with Cum Laude honors with a biol-ogy health-science major and a minor in exercise and sports psychology in December 2017. Blake DeMond, a native of Bro-ken Arrow, graduated from North-western in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Audrey Estes of Tulsa, graduat-ed as a biology major with a minor in health and sports science.

Megan Garnett, of Alva, gradu-ated in December 2017 with a Bach-elor of Science in mass communica-tion with a minor in fine arts. David Gutierrez, of Woodward, graduated in December 2017 with a biology major and physics and chemistry minor. Gutierrez began attending Northwestern in 2014 fol-lowing his freshman year at the Uni-versity of Oklahoma. Dana Kausek, an Enid native, completed her bachelor’s in social work with a minor in psychology. Jean de Dieu Nshimiyimana, an international student from Rwan-

da, graduated with a bach-elor’s degree in biology and chemis-try and main-tained a 4.0 c u m u l a t i v e grade point average. Erin Norrie, of Chisholm, was a biol-ogy major and chemistry mi-nor at North-western. O s a m u S a k a m o t o g r a d u a t e d in May 2018 with a degree in nursing. Trista Wat-son, a Turpin High School graduate, pur-sued a degree in early childhood education.

Outstanding Seniors

Twelve students honored as outstanding At a ceremony held prior to the annual Spring Reunion Banquet, several awards were presented to Northwestern students and one fac-ulty member. Biraj Aryal, Riley L. Pearce and Jean De Dieu Nshimiyimana were awarded the T.C. Carter Award, pre-sented to graduating seniors with the highest grade point average. Other Northwestern students and faculty to be recognized includ-ed: Pearce for the Newman Civic Fellow Award, Sierra F. McKinnon

of Alva and Milissa A. Britt of Enid for the Psychology Student of the Year Award, Trista Watson for the Dr. Joe Dollins Merit Award, Mor-gan Marks, for the John Ted Meier Student Teaching Award, Nshimiy-imana, for the John F. Kennedy Award Rachel Davis, for the Sabin and Pearl Percefull Scholarship Award, and Katelyn Van Vickle, for the the deSERVING Ranger Award. Dr. Kylene Rehder received the John Sheffield Teacher of the Year Award.

Jean De Dieu Nshimiyimana receives the John F. Kennedy Award from Macie Malone. He also earned the T.C. Carter Award.

Students, faculty member earn honors

Riley Pearce receives the Newman Civic Fellow Award from Dr. Bo Hannaford. Pearce also earned the T.C. Carter Award.

Sierra McKinnon receives Psychology Stu-dent of the Year (Alva) from Mistie Kline.

Milissa Britt receives Psychology Student of the Year (Enid) from Mistie Kline.

Trista Watson receives the Dr. Joe Dollins Merit Award from Dr. Bo Hannaford.

Rachel Davis receives the Sabin & Pearl Percefull Scholarship from Dr. James Bell.

Morgan Marks receives the John Ted Meier Student Teaching Award from Dr. Steve Maier.

Katelyn Van Vickle receives the deSERVING Ranger Award from Dr. Bo Hannaford.

Dr. Kylene Rehder receives the John Sheffield Teacher of the Year Award from Macie Malone.

Congratulationsto all our

hardworkingRangers!


Business division recognizes students at April Ceremony

Dr. Roger Brown presents Diana Valle Ramirez with the Mead and Mary Ferguson Scholarship.

Dr. Steven Palmer gives Brittani Casement the W.W. Starr Business Scholarship and medal.

Karly Gillispi was awarded the Bruce and

Sheryl Benbrook Business Scholarship.

Nichole Unruh received the Leamon Business Scholarship.

Precious Okeke receives the Baird, Kurtz and Dobson Scholarship presented by Jarretta Huckins.

Dr. David Hawkins presents Callie Campbell with a certificate for her work with the Student Advisory Council.

Dr. David Hawkins presents Cassidy Hackett with a certificate for her work with the Student Advisory Council.

Several students were inducted into Delta Mu Delta. Those attending were: Carley Geer, Olivia Brock, Karly Gillispie and Joana Camacho. Not pictured were: Chelsea Fitzpatrick, Julie French and Melissa Nasser.

Sherry Maxwell was awarded the Wilma A.

Ernst Scholarship.

Sherry Maxwell was also awarded the Helen Vore Sutter Memorial Scholarship and the Norma Jean

Smith Scholarship.

Others honored for Student Advisory Council work but not attending were: Sage Allen, Clinton Muret and Kyle Satek.


Max Ridgway, who teaches guitar, strings, and general education classes at Northwestern as an adjunct in-structor of music teaching guitar and strings courses, has published “Mod-ernism: The Strange Story of Art and Music in the Twentieth Century” ex-clusively through Amazon. Ridgway, the son of Alycen Yod-er-Ridgway of Alva and the late Max Ridgway, graduated from Alva High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in professional music from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a master’s degree in music edu-cation from Northwestern. His book explores the relation-ship between the various branches of art during the 20th century. TThis time period witnessed an explosion of creativity as artists, musicians and writers rejected centuries of past practice and boldly created new visual forms, new musical languages and new ways of thinking. The book is, as the title suggests, a narrative. This is the story of the i nd iv i du a l s who created the art, told within the context of the times in which they lived. It’s not overly “academic” and only covers art and music theory to the extent necessary to tell the story. As a story, it’s got everything: betray-al, murder, adultery, suicide, Nazis and all kinds of aberrant behavior. Along the way, the reader learns about the important art movements

of the 20th century and their relative significance. Ridgway said the book grew out of an honors course he taught dur-ing a previous semester called Music and Modernism. “I’ve been dealing with this subject for a long time,” he explained. “It’s an area of special interest for me. Never-theless, I found it necessary to do a tremen-dous amount of research in order to prepare for the class. In the process, I discov-ered a lot of fascinating material

about the artists and composers of the 20th cen-tury. After the class concluded I didn’t want my research to go to waste, and I thought it actu-ally made a pret-ty good story as well. That’s what prompted me to write the book.”

Through his research, Ridgway came across many stories which are included in his book, including a firsthand account from a dance teacher who witnessed the compos-er John Cage create the “prepared piano” by putting foreign objects between the strings of the piano. He discovered many unusual circum-

stances surrounding the composers and artists associated with modern-ism. Ridgway said modernism is a

self-conscious break with the past. “Most audiences tend not to like the art and music of the 20th century because of a lack of familiarity,” he said. “It’s hardly ever played because it’s so radical or controver-sial.” Ridgway also cu-rates a YouTube page, currently with more than 16,000 subscrib-ers, called NewMu-

sicXX that promotes modern music and contemporary composers. He also is a musician with wide-rang-ing experience, from avant-garde free improvisation and ambient music to blues-infused jazz. He has been teaching music appreciation classes for 25 years, and in talking with faculty members at other uni-versities has heard that they often skip the 20th century altogether or give it only a passing glance, mostly because they do not like the music. “Personally, I think that the art and music of the 20th century is ex-tremely important,” Ridgway said. “First because it is the most recent, and second because of its influence: it has defined many aspects of our modern culture. For instance, the music you hear in films of the last 40 years draws heavily on the mod-ernist classical tradition of the 20th century.” Ridgway’s book is available for purchase on Amazon.

Max Ridgway

“I found it necessary to do a tremendous amount of re-search in order to prepare for the class. ...I didn’t want my research to go to waste, and I thought it actually made a pretty good story as well. That’s what prompted me to write the book.”

Class research prompts new book Two Northwestern social work faculty members were among sev-en honored June 15 at the annual Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work Hall of Fame lun-cheon in Norman.

Honored were Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the social work department, and Raquel Razien, adjunct instructor who works in the field of social work in Wood-ward. Dr. Rehder earned the Social Work Educator Award. Her ca-reer reflects leadership, the vision of the profession, commitment to students and to the profession, and service to the profession and

to the educational enterprise. The award recognizes the pur-pose of professional education to lead and guide the profes-sion. Characteristics of awardees include linkages with practice;

contributing to the body of knowledge of the pro-fession; creating awareness and under-standing of e m e r g i n g issues that c o n f r o n t p r a c t i c e and the profession; a d v o c a t -ing for so-cial work educations or per-f o r m i n g n a t i o n a l re s p on s i -bilities. Ms. Ra-zien earned the Rural

Social Worker Award. This award recogniz-es a social work professional uti-lizing a general-ist practice mod-el in a rural area of Oklahoma. This profession-al social worker is identified by

Raquel Razien, adjunct faculty member (left) and Dr. Kylene Rehder, social work department chair and associate professor of social work (right) with Jennifer Pribble, assistant professor of social work, after the award ceremony.

Dr. Deena Fisher, dean of the Woodward campus, Dr. Kylene Rehder, social work department chair and associate professor of social work, Raquel Razien, adjunct faculty member, and Dr. James Bell, dean of faculty and associate vice president for academics, at the Hall of Fame Awards at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work in Norman. Fisher presented the award to Dr. Rehder. Dr. Rehder presented Razien’s award.

the community as a resource in more than one area of expertise. Dr. Deena Fisher, dean of Northwestern-Woodward; Dr. James Bell, associate vice president for academics and dean of faculty; and Jennifer Pribble, assistant pro-fessor of social work, attended the event.

Razien, Rehder honored at Hall of Fame Awards


Northwestern inducted new mem-bers into the Phi Alpha Theta, Pi Sigma Alpha and Pi Gamma Mu internation-al honor societies this spring. Phi Alpha Theta is an interna-tional history honor society dedi-cated to promoting the study of his-tory. Requirements for membership include a minimum 12 hours of his-tory, a cumulative grade point aver-age of at least 3.1, and inclusion in the top third of the graduating class. Sponsors are Dr. Eric Schmaltz, professor of history, and Dr. Roger Hardaway, professor of history. This year’s three inductees include Josh Atchley of Helena, history major; Brandy Hinesley Chambers of Tonka-wa, general studies major; and Donald Tripp of Jackson, Mo., history major. Pi Sigma Alpha is an international political science honor society dedi-cated to promoting the understanding of politics, democracy and citizenship throughout the world. Requirements for membership include a minimum 12 hours of political science, a cumu-lative grade point average of at least 3.5 and inclusion in the top third of the graduating class. The sponsor for the Northwest-ern chapter is Dr. Aaron Mason, professor of political science. This year’s four inductees in-clude Riley Pearce of Enid, politi-cal science major; Cole Reynolds of Woodward, political science major; Jacque Ruhl of Alva, political sci-ence major; and Hal Oberlender of Enid, political science major. Pi Gamma Mu is an interna-tional social sciences honor society dedicated to promoting excellence in social sciences and upholding scholarship, leadership and service. Requirements for membership in-clude a minimum 20 hours of politi-cal science, a cumulative grade point

average of at least 3.4, and inclusion in the top third of the graduating class.

Sponsors are Jana Brown, in-structor of history, and Dr. Kay

Social Sciences department inducts into 3 honor societies

Decker, professor of sociology and department chair of social sciences. This year’s 17 inductees include Steven Deckard of Saint Charles, Mo., criminal justice major; Jessica Goodballet of Mooreland, social work major; Samantha Henderson of Burl-ington, sociology major; Robert Hon-eyman of Alva, criminal justice major; Alicia James of Laverne, social work major; Teresa Jones of Ponca City, criminal justice major; Dana Kausek of Enid, social work major; Kaleb Keplinger of Cherryvale, Kan., crimi-nal justice major; Jordan Koehn of Alva, social work major; Olivia Little of Woodward, criminal justice major; Alicia McCord of Enid, criminal jus-tice major; Annie Moss of Enid, so-cial work major; Riley Pearce of Enid, political science major; Levi Sanders of Goltry, social work major; Donald Tripp of Jackson, Mo., history major; Madeline Turner of Enid, social work major; Denise Tyrell of Enid, social work major; and Brittany Westervelt of Ponca City, history major.

Northwestern Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society inductees (left to right) Jacque Ruhl, Riley Pearce, Hal Oberlender and Cole Reynolds will work with sponsor Aaron Mason (far right) to cultivate political science interest on campus.

Northwestern Pi Gamma Mu social sciences honor society members will encourage service, scholarship and leadership. Back row (left to right) Eric Schmaltz (sponsor), Levi Sanders, Olivia Little, Donald Tripp, Steven Deckhard, Jordan Koehn and Kaleb Keplinger. Middle row (left to right) Jana Brown (sponsor), Denise Tyrell, Alicia James, Kay Decker (sponsor), Dana Kausek, Annie Moss and Kayla Patten. Front row (left to right) Samantha Hender-son, Teresa Jones, Riley Pearce and Jessica Goodballet. Not pictured are inductees Robert Honeyman, Alicia McCord, Madeline Turner and Brittany Westervelt.

Social Sciences faculty members (left to right) Ken Kelsey and Gordon Patton, with the Phi Alpha Theta inductees Josh Atchley and Donald Tripp, and faculty members Eric Schmaltz and Kay Decker will work to promote the study of history. Not Pictured is inductee Brandy Hinesley Chambers.

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Honor Societies...

The Woodward Leadership Advisory Board and Northwestern University students make a donation of several items including cribs, diapers, baby clothing, wipes, strollers, and infant carrier covers to the local Pregnancy Center. Pictured: Sheila Gay, Tony Haskins, Angie Bouse, Belva Mabra, Marylea Burgess, Mario Perez, Milissa Sturgill, Stepha-nie Haddock, Baylee Chance, Kameron Zollinger, and Cristal Arias. (Photo by Sarah Nishimuta - Woodward News)

Bilingual Bingo Night

Dr. Richmond Adams, assistant professor of English, (standing) took the place of caller for the Spanish Department’s night of Bilingual Bingo.

Dr. Martinez, professor of Spanish,

(center) poses with the winners of the night of Bilingual

Bingo. The winners (from left to right) included Courtney

Padilla, Lizzy Shaffer, Kassie Parker, Jackie

Rodriguez, Matthew Appleton, and

Gregory Carrington.

Photos by Lydia Hoffman

Northwestern played host to two speech tournaments once again this spring. The annual speech invitational tournament was held in January and the OSSAA Regional Speech Tour-nament was held in March. Northwestern theatre students provided judging assistance and worked to ensure that the event ran smoothly.

Theatre studentsprovide assistancefor two tourneys


The Northwestern 2018 Study Abroad travelers, 19 in all, embarked on their journey to the U.K. on May 15. The trip was led by Kyle Larson, assis-tant professor of art, and Dr. Kathryn Lane, associate professor of English. Upon arrival in Edinburgh, travel-ers were greeted by their tour director, Antonia Gomez, a native of London and an experienced secondary school teacher specializing in modern for-eign languages, Spanish and French. Antonia took the group on a walk-ing tour of the Old City, culminating in a steep walk up Calton Hill for a breathtaking view of the city and the Lomond Hills of Fife. The next day, the group went on a tour of Edinburgh, where they saw the homes of Alexander Graham Bell and Robert Louis Stevenson. The group explored Edinburgh’s New Town, which was constructed in the 1800s, and strolled down the Royal Mile through the Old Town, a romantic jumble of medieval buildings. The group then visited Edinburgh Castle with a local guide. Hovering over the city and perched atop a dor-

mant volcano, Edinburgh Castle is the enduring symbol of Scotland’s capital. It was here that Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, who would

later rule England as James I. During their free day of exploration in Edin-burgh, travelers chose activities in-cluding visiting the Scottish National Gallery of Art, strolling through the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, walking through the centrally located Princes Street Garden, and more.

Early the next morn-ing, the group enjoyed a sce-nic train ride to London. Once in the city, the group set off for a s ig hts e e ing tour, visiting Westminister Abbey, Buck-ingham Pal-ace, St. Paul’s, and more. The next day,

the group toured the Tower of Lon-don. Situated against the banks of the Thames, the castle and its surround-ing edifices most famously served as a

place of punish-ment, but have also enjoyed tenures as an armory, a mint, and a treasury. Within the for-tress walls is the White Tower, built by William the Conqueror in 1066, and the extravagant Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Even though

the group was on the train from Ed-inburgh to London when the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held, some of the group traveled to Windsor Castle the day after the wedding and had the chance to visit St. George’s Chapel, where the ceremony took place. The flowers from the wedding were still on dis-play! Also at Windsor Castle, within the State Apartments, travelers saw the extensive royal collection of art, including paintings by Rubens and Holbein, and viewed Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, where castle items are replicated in 1/12th scale—complete with a working lighting system and functional plumbing. The third day in London was a free day. Travelers chose to visit art muse-ums, such as the Tate Modern and the British National Gallery, the British Library, and the famous Abbey Road. They could also opt for a Harry Potter

tour, or a boat ride on the Thames. A small group saw “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Dutchess Theatre. The group eventually reconvened for a de-licious Fish and Chips dinner at The Fable restaurant. The next morning, travelers hopped on a short flight from London to Dublin. Once there, Anotonia took the group on a walking tour of the fa-mous Grafton Street. Later, travelers met for a hearty Guinness stew dinner, and then attended a traditional Irish dancing show. One of the NWOSU travelers, Colton Reed, was invited on stage to try a few dance moves! The final day in Dublin started with a sightseeing tour. With the group visiting Phoenix Park and see-ing the presidential residence, riding through Dublin’s Georgian squares, touring St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and then stopping to explore Trinity Col-lege, where playwright Samuel Beck-ett and satirist Jonathan Swift studied. In the Long Room of the Old Library the group viewed the Book of Kells, a calligraphic manuscript created by

Buckingham Palace

Edinburgh Castle

Irish monks more than 1,000 years ago. Later in the day, travelers visited the Guinness Storehouse, and after, hopped on a train for an impromptu visit to the coastal town of Howth to enjoy the sun and the Irish Sea. On the way home from Ireland, and during an 8-hour layover in Chi-cago, the group was treated to a quick bus tour of the city. Among the many

sites seen from the bus, the group ven-tured out to see the historic Chicago Cultural Center and walked through the famous Millennium Park, contain-ing Anish Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate,” bet-ter known as “The Bean.” The group then flew back to the Wichita airport, and everyone arrived back home safe and sound, but a bit exhausted!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Trinity College Library

The group enjoying the sun and Irish Sea at Howth. A view at Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, also known as The Bean.

Study Abroad takes on the U.K.

Continued on page 11


Study Abroad...


The business partnership among Northwestern and two of northern Oklahoma’s premier health care fa-cilities, AllianceHealth Woodward and Alliance-Health Ponca City, was celebrated recently at a statewide event. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education presented Northwestern and Al-lianceHealth its Regents Business Partnership Ex-cellence Award, which is designed to highlight successful partnerships between higher education institu-tions and businesses and to further cultivate the higher learning envi-ronment. “We are honored that our part-nerships with AllianceHealth facili-ties in Woodward and Ponca City were recognized by the State Re-gents,” said Dr. Janet Cunningham, president of Northwestern. “We have a shared commitment and vi-sion to improve access to quality health care by preparing the next generation of highly skilled and well-trained nurses.” AllianceHealth Woodward and AllianceHealth Ponca City have long supported Northwestern’s Divi-sion of Nursing by providing fund-ing that allows for Northwestern to place full-time nursing faculty at its branch location in Woodward and at the University Center of Ponca City. In addition to supporting fac-ulty positions, both entities provide clinical opportunities for nursing students and offer valuable exper-tise to the Division by providing

representatives to serve on advisory boards. This continuing partnership between Northwestern and the Al-

lianceHeath facilities is improving health care in northern and northwest-ern Oklahoma. A l l i a n c e He a l t h’s statewide network of eight hospitals offers Oklahoma access to shared clinical expertise, coordination of care and additional im-proved access to specialty

care locally. Institutions involved in these partnerships provide $500 for tu-ition waivers to employees of the partnering businesses; internships

that enable current students to work at the partnering businesses; facul-ty externships with the partnering businesses; and/or enhancement of the partnerships with additional equipment, materials or supplies. The State Regents provide a $500 match for the waivers. “Our colleges and universi-ties are working side by side with leaders in the private, public and nonprofit sectors,” said Chancel-lor Glen D. Johnson. “These col-laborations between business and industry and our state system in-stitutions ensure that we continue building the skilled workforce needed for Oklahoma to be glob-ally competitive.”

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recently honored the partnership among Northwestern, AllianceHealth Ponca City, and AllianceHealth Woodward. Pictured are Glen Johnson, chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educa-tion; Jeanne Stara, chief nursing officer, AllianceHeath Ponca City; Adam Leaming, CEO of the University Center of Ponca City; Christopher Mendoza, CEO of Alliance-Health Ponca City; Dr. Janet Cunningham, president of Northwestern; Ross Korkmas, CEO of AllianceHealth Woodward; Dr. Shelly Wells, chair of the Division of Nurs-ing; Dr. Bo Hannaford, vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Deena Fisher, dean of Northwestern-Woodward; and Dave Lopez, Oklahoma Secretary of State, Education and Workforce Development.

Regents honor health care partnership

Many students, faculty and staff members from Northwestern Enid and Northern Oklahoma College got together for the Spring Bridge Barbecue in April on NOC’s Zollars Lawn. Northwestern provided hot dogs, chips and drinks. NOC Jets Activities provided two large inflat-ables – jousting and a bungee race competition. This event provides a great op-portunity for Northwestern stu-dents to meet and mingle with NOC students across the bridge. Besides that, this is a great recruit-ment opportunity for Northwest-ern and helps promote the Bridge Program. The purpose of the Bridge Pro-gram is to aid students by making it possible to be jointly admitted and eligible to enroll concurrently at both NOC and Northwestern, eliminating barriers to attaining educational goals, improving aca-demic program articulation and expanding options for college ser-vices. Once accepted to the Bridge pro-gram, students may enroll in classes at any NOC campus in Tonkawa, Enid or Stillwater, as well as any Northwest-ern campus in Alva, Enid or Wood-ward. Designated academic advisors are available at each campus. Northwestern Enid faculty and staff members were able to talk with students in their own departments about opportunities for furthering their educations in Enid.

The Enid Leadership Council members are Breanna Winegarden, Caitlin Evans, Ryan Gantt and Katlyn Anderson.

Competition was high at the Spring Bridge Barbecue. These NOC students have a bit of fun at the bungee race inflatable provided by NOC Jets Activities.

Students register for their opportunity to spin the wheel for Northwestern prizes.

Northwestern, NOCBridge Barbecueunites campuses


Dr. Kylene Rehder, associate pro-fessor, director of the Social Work Pro-gram and chair of the Department of Social Work at Northwestern, has been named the 2018 Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Oklahoma Chapter (NASW-OK). Rehder received this award Friday, April 6, during a noon ceremony held at the NASW-OK An-nual State Conference in Tulsa. The Social Worker of the Year Award honors a member of NASW who exemplifies the best of the pro-fession’s values and achievements through specific accomplishments in the practice of social work. Rehder’s selection was based on the ability to demonstrate outstanding leadership, advocacy for clients and social policy, social work practice, program develop-ment and administration, and contri-butions to a positive image of the social work profession. Northwestern Associate Vice President for Academics and Dean of Faculty Dr. James Bell said, “Having known Dr. Rehder for the past eight years and having worked with her for most of that time, I can enthusiasti-cally attest to the positive impact she has had on Northwestern Oklahoma State University, the communities in the NWOSU service region, and the profession of social work in the state.” Rehder has worked at Northwest-ern since 2005 and is credited with leading the social work program to external accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Northwestern’s social work program is one of only five CSWE-accredited universities in the state and is the only one in western Oklahoma. With the development of a social work program in the region, the landscape of social services in Northwest Oklahoma has

been transformed. Rehder is overjoyed to be named the 2018 Social Worker of the Year by NASW-OK. NASW is the largest membership organization of profes-sional social workers in the world and focuses on enhancing the professional growth and development of its members, creating and maintaining profes-sional standards, and advancing sound social policies. “I am truly hon-ored to receive this recognition as it is a privilege to work as a professional social worker,” Rehder said. “To receive this award at the annual state con-ference with many of my current and former students, colleagues and men-tors will be a very special professional moment.” Rehder earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Northwestern (2001) and a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma (2003). In 2013, she completed a doc-torate degree from Northcentral Uni-versity, where her dissertation research focused on the use of technology in so-cial work education and practice. Re-hder is a licensed clinical social worker and a board-approved clinical super-visor by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers. She has a rich history of involvement in the NASW-OK, holding key roles such as North-west Branch Chair, Chapter Commit-tee on Nominations and Leadership Identity (CCNLI), and the steering committee for the Social Work Public Education Campaign. Her research efforts on licensure

laws, titles and requirements provided the necessary foundation for legisla-tive changes, bringing the Oklahoma’s Social Work Practice Act in alignment with other jurisdictions and the Social Work National Model Act. In 2015,

Rehder was appoint-ed by the governor to serve on the State Board of Licensed Social Workers and is currently the board’s secretary. She is an advisory board mem-ber for the Child Wel-fare Professional En-hancement Program (CWPEP), which fo-cuses on strengthen-ing child welfare ser-vices in Oklahoma. In

addition, she is a board member of Freedom West Commu-nity Development Corporation, a non-profit development entity in Northwest Oklahoma that works to revitalize ru-ral communities to increase commu-nity sustainability through proactive social and economic change efforts. Rehder serves as a clinical consul-tant to many Northwest Oklahoma agencies and is a member of the Okla-homa Medical Reserve Corps (OK-MRC), where she serves as a disaster mental health responder. She is the Jake and Jayne Lindsay Endowed Chair in Social Work at Northwestern, was the university’s 2012 Distinguished Service Award recipient, and was named the prestigious John Barton Distinguished Teaching and Service Award recipi-ent in 2013. In 2017, she was selected as one of 100 honorees in the field of social work from the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma for its 100th anniversary celebration.

Dr. Kylene Rehder

Rehder named Social Worker of the Year Northwestern inducted 33 new members into the Red and Black Scroll Honor Society April 16 dur-ing a ceremony in the Student Center Wyatt Room. Red and Black Scroll recognizes outstanding scholarship and service among sophomore students at North-western. Requirements for member-ship include completion of 40-59 hours of college credit, a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, participa-tion in two or more campus organiza-tions or activities, attendance at North-

western for at least two semesters and non-failure of a college course. Sponsors are Dr. Dena Walker, assistant professor of mathematics, and Dr. Sheila Brintnall, professor of mathematics. This year’s inductees include Cris-tal Arias of Woodward, nursing ma-jor; Katrina Betz of Norman, chem-istry major; Wyatt Bolner of Luther, general studies major; Julia Bucking-ham of Alva, nursing major; Eliza-beth Bullard of Enid, biology major; Jenna Castor of Shattuck, biology

major; Gabrielle Cepero of Wood-ward, biology major; Melissa Chavez of Beaver, psychology major; Rhian-na Chesser of Kansas, biology major; Elise Foss of Tonkawa, elementary education major; Aleysa Franz of Alva, elementary education major; John Godwin of Stroud, health and sports science major; Shelby Harger of Sand Springs, political science major; Brittani Helterbrake of Seil-ing, psychology major; Alec Jamar of Frisco, Texas, computer science major; Bailey Jarvis of Owasso, ac-counting major; Logan Jones of The Colony, Texas, mass communication major; Kaitlyn Kilian of Medford, nursing major; Brycen McClendon of Pampa, Texas, health and sports science major; Alanna Negelein of Cleveland, English major; Joseph Ortiz of Alva, computer science ma-jor; Kassie Parker of Comanche, bi-ology major; Rosina Quaicoe of Ta-koradi, Ghana, biology major; Diana Valle Ramirez of Shattuck, account-ing major; Jacque Ruhl of Alva, po-litical science major; Sean Rydell of Kingwood, Texas, business admin-istration major; Danyelle Seurer of Hinton, early childhood education major; Brittni Taylor of Enid, biology major; Nikki Taylor of Forgan, health and sports science education major; Hallie Ward of Tuttle, nursing major; Joni Rochelle Welch of Alva, nurs-ing major; Tiffany Willson of Con-way Springs, Kansas, early childhood education major; and Kylie Wilson of Helena, health and sports science major. Red and Black Scroll officers were elected the same evening. New offi-cers are: Bolner, president; Jamar, vice president; Seurer, secretary/treasurer; and Willson, reporter/historian.

Students inducted into the Red and Black Scroll Honor Society are (back row, left to right) Sean Rydell, Jenna Castor, Brittni Taylor, Kaitlyn Kilian, Aleysa Franz, Rhianna Chesser, Kassie Parker, Melissa Chavez, Shelby Harger, Brittani Helterbrake, Nikki Tay-lor, Joseph Ortiz, Joni Rochelle Welch, Rosina Quaicoe and Elise Foss. Front row (left to right) are Cristal Arias, Diana Valle Ramirez, sponsors Dr. Dena Walker and Dr. Sheila Brintnall, Tiffany Willson, Wyatt Bolner, Alec Jamar, Danyelle Seurer, Jacque Ruhl, Katrina Betz, and Alanna Negelein. Not pictured are Julia Buckingham, Elizabeth Bullard, Gabrielle Cepero, John Godwin, Bailey Jarvis, Logan Jones, Bryce McClendon, Hallie Ward and Kylie Wilson.

Red, Black Scroll has 33 new members


Five students finishgrief, bereavementcertificate program Northwestern began the Grief and Bereavement Certification program during the 2016 fall semester. Through this 30-hour program, in-dividuals gain knowledge and training to be more effective working with those who are grieving or who have suffered loss. The program classes consist of Foundations of Grief and Bereavement; Grief in Children and Teens; Diversity Issues in Death, Grief and Bereavement; Current and Critical Topics in Death and Loss; Positive Psychology; Motiva-tion and Emotion; Palliative and Hos-pice Care; Child Guidance; Adolescent Guidance; and Psychotherapy. During the spring 2018 semester, Northwestern awarded five students with the Grief and Bereavement Certifi-cate: Milissa Britt, Alicia Green, Maryha Martin, Kylee Wallace, and Gay Webb. Anyone needing information re-garding the certification may contact Dr. Leigh Kirby, Interim Chair of Psychol-ogy, 580-213-3136, [email protected].

Castle Players hosted their an-nual end-of-year award party on April 30. They invited anyone who had been in a production or helped this past season. The Players indulged in piz-za while Professor Weast and the group gave away awards chosen by the group. Officers for the 2018-19 school year were also elected. Following the party, a group of students went to McDonalds and shared ice cream together to cel-ebrate a great year!

Castle Players officers for 2018 are (from top): Tiffany Willson, president; Peyton Lucas, vice president; Michelle Willson, secretary/treasurer, and Madi Wilson, historian.

Castle Players celebratewith end-of-year party

Castle Players members celebrate their awards at the group’s end-of-year party held in April.

Dr. Jim Breyley, professor of business, left, and Dr. Cheryl Kent, assistant professor of nursing, were honored by their peers at the Enid campus on their retirements. Jason Ogg, patron services assistant, was also celebrated for earning a master’s degree before leaving Northwestern.

Spring commencement exer-cises were held on Saturday, May 5, at Ranger Field. Doug Van Meter, 1989 North-western graduate, 2017 Outstanding Graduate in the Business/Profes-sional area and member of the Uni-versity’s football team from 1984-89, spoke. Music was provided by the Ranger symphonic band under the direction of Dr. Marc Decker. A reception honoring the grad-uates followed the ceremony in the Student Center Ballroom. A total of 216 candidates re-ceived bachelor’s degrees, 18 of those with honors. Students with cumula-tive grade point averages between 3.70 and 3.79 are designated cum laude, those with GPAs between

Dr. Janet Cunningham, president, gives her welcome at the spring commencement cer-emonies held at Ranger Field.

3.80-3.89 are magna cum laude, and those above 3.90 are summa cum laude. Thirty-seven candidates re-ceived master degrees, 19 received

Master of Education degrees; 14 received Master of Counseling Psy-chology degrees and four received Master of Arts in American Studies degrees.

Dr. Bo Hannaford, vice president for academic affairs, gives last minute instructions to the graduates.

The Ranger Band, under the director of Dr. Marc Decker, assis-tant professor of music, provided music for commencement.

Graduates weren’t the only ones celebrating! Family and friends got in the act.

Graduates take a few moments to relax and smile during com-mencement ceremonies.

Northwestern celebrates commencement

Natalie Miller, assistant certification officer, and Melissa Brown, secretary of the division of education, took on the challenge of painting about 8,000 square feet of hallway in the Education Building with assistance from Roger Brown, assistant professor of business.


Three Northwestern seniors were awarded the Guthrie Scottish Rite Scholarship given by the Guth-rie Scottish Rite Charitable and Ed-ucational Foundation. Those awarded this semester were Angela Clem, mathematics education major from Mutual; Bob-bie Jo Perron, elementary education major from Seiling, and Samantha Wilson, elementary education ma-jor from Norman. Each semester the scholarships are awarded to teacher candidates who are completing their profes-sional semester. Dr. Christie Jenlink, associate dean of education and professor of education, and Dr. Bo Hannaford, vice president for academic affairs, presented the students their scholar-ship. The Guthrie Scottish Rite Chari-table and Educational Foundation works primarily with children with

Three awarded Guthrie Scottish Rite Scholarships

Dr. Bo Hannaford (second from left) presents this semester’s Guthrie Scottish Rite Scholarship awards to (left to right) Bobbie Jo Perron, Angela Clem and Samantha Wilson.

language and/or reading disorders. Recipients are chosen by vote of members of the Teacher Education faculty, who have reviewed all appli-cations.

For more information on the Guthrie Scottish Rite scholarship or the Division of Education, contact Jenlink at (580) 327-8450 or email [email protected].

The Enid Campus held its Enid Recognition

Ceremony to honor spring graduates

in late April. A wonderful crowd

attended.

Levi Sanders, Goltry senior, was named the 2018 National Associa-tion of Social Workers, Oklahoma (NASW-OK) Undergraduate Stu-dent of the Year. He received this award Friday, April 6, during a noon ceremony held at the NASW-OK Annual State Conference in Tulsa. The Undergraduate Student of the Year Award honors a bachelor’s level social work student from a

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program. Sand-ers’ selection was based on his ability to demonstrate leadership qualities, contribution to the positive image of a social work program, success-ful academic performance, and rep-resentation of the profession’s core values. Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the department of social work, said that Sander’s recognition is well-de-

Sanders named Social Work Student of the Yearserved. “Levi embodies the ideal quali-ties of pro-f e s s i o n a l social work,” R e h d e r said. “We are excited his contri-butions to service and social justice are being recognized in such a prestigious public way.” NASW is the largest member-ship organization of professional social workers in the world and fo-cuses on enhancing the profession-al growth and development of its members, creating and maintaining professional standards, and advanc-ing sound social policies. “I’m so honored by this award and grateful to Northwestern’s De-partment of Social Work,” Sand-ers said. “The social work program has prepared me to become a pro-fessional who is ready to make an impact for the better on the world around me.” After completing a practicum with Youth & Family Services of North Central in Enid this Spring. Sanders graduated in May and will attend the University of Kansas to obtain his Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Sanders also was se-lected for a prominent study abroad program at the University of Kansas that will provide him the opportu-nity to study social work on an in-ternational scale during a 13-day journey to Milan and Rome, Italy.

Levi Sanders

Sanders accepting his award from the Executive Director of

NASW-OK, Steven W. Pharris, LCSW, JD.


Northwestern once again hosted Oklahoma Research Day (ORD) at Enid’s Central National Bank Center. Approximately 1,000 individu-als from colleges and universities across the state attended the event, with approximately 850 posters presented by students and faculty. Northwestern had its largest-ever contingent of ORD presenters ever with 47. This year’s guest speaker was Dr. Tyrone Hayes, professor of in-tegrative biology at the University of California-Berkeley, who dis-cussed his research finding that the herbicide atrazine acts as an endo-crine disruptor, demasculinizing and feminizing male frogs. Dur-ing his talk, he advocated for the regulation of pesticides and other chemicals that may cause adverse health effects for both animals and humans. Northwestern’s jazz ensemble and University Singers also per-formed during the banquet. Northwestern could not have

played host to ORD without the support of its administration and faculty. The ORD Advisory Com-mittee—comprised of Dr. Shawn Holliday, Dr. Jennifer Page, Dr. Aaron Mason, Dr. Eric Schmaltz, Dr. Aaron Place, Dr. Tim Maharry, Dr. Steven Mackie, and Dr. Wayne McMillin—were responsible for the year-long preparation and coordi-nation of the event.

Now in its 19th year, ORD is a premier annual event celebrating student and faculty, creative and scholarly activities. The event has grown in numbers and in stature with contributions from all of Okla-homa’s institutions of higher educa-tion, including many collaborative contributions from national and in-ternational academic and research

Approximately 1,000 attended the 2018 Oklahoma Research Day held in Enid. Northwestern had its largest turnout of presenters ever with 47.

Several members of the university’s jazz ensemble help register presenters at Oklahoma Research Day.

Dr. Tyrone Hayes was the guest speaker for Oklahoma Research Day. He discussed his research finding that the herbicide atrazine acts as an endocrine disruptor that de-masculinizes and feminizes male frogs.

Continued on page 21

institutions. Others who helped sponsor ORD this year included Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE); Oklahoma Experimental Program for Stimulating Competi-tive Research (EPSCoR) - National Science Foundation; Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excel-lence (INBRE) - National Institutes of Health; The Aurora Learning Community Association (ALCA); Cameron University; East Cen-tral University; Langston Univer-sity; Northeastern State University; Southeastern Oklahoma State Uni-versity; Southwestern Oklahoma

State University; and the University of Central Oklahoma. Chancellor Glen Johnson, as

The Northwestern Jazz Ensemble, under the director of Dr. Marc Decker, performed for the Oklahoma Research Day lunch crowd.

Mr. Karsten Longhurst directed the University Singers during the group’s lunchtime performance at Oklahoma Research Day.

Shanely Russo visits with Mistie Kline and Taylor Randolph about her research on “Stress in College - How Each Gender Is Affected By Stress in Different Aspects of Life.”

Osam Sakamoto and Rachael Girton discuss their group’s re-search project, “Effective Mentorship Practices in Nursing,” with Dr. Shelly Wells during Oklahoma Research Day activities.

well as other Oklahoma regents and university presidents, attended the conference.

Dr. Jason Wickham,

center back, listens intently as he visits the many research

project presenters at

Oklahoma Research Day.

850 present posters at state research day Research day....Continued from page 20


The sky was the limit for a hand-ful of Ranger Rocketry students when they made their way to Ar-gonia, Kansas. Their mission was to test and compete with their home-made rockets against nine other teams including the eventual win-ner, Oklahoma State University. Argonia has a rocketry range and holds a collegiate competition, allowing students to design and test engineering projects. Dr. Steven Maier, professor of physics and chair of the department of natural science, took his model rocket hobby to the next level and introduced Northwestern students to the project. Sam Goddard, a fresh-man pre-engineering student from Wilberton, and Joshua Calder, an international student from Kalomo, Zambia, majoring in biology, were the certified fliers who competed in the Argonia Cup. Both students were able and willing when Maier brought up this opportunity. Other active members who helped in design, construction, recovery and promotion includ-ed Colton Reed (pre-engineer-ing), Kelsey Conaway (math-ematics), and Jean Shimiyimana (pre-med). To compete, at least one student on the team has to pass Level 2 certification. Dr. Maier said, “The team went from a group of individ-uals having never even construct-ed a consumer/hobby mid-power rocket to a team that built two Lev-el 2 vehicles in a total time span of less than 5 months!” He added that “this included two team members certifying at Level 1 and Level 2, producing a team film, designing the structure/components of two very differently sized high powered

rockets, running computer simula-tions, programming electronics for dual deploy, and collectively com-pleting the construction process using industrial grade material. On top of that, team members con-sisted of pre-professional students with several other responsibilities (like, classes, student organizations, campus jobs, off campus jobs, ath-letics).” The rockets must rise above 8,000 feet and carry a payload of one golf ball to a designated target. The ball should be released sepa-rately from the main rocket and all components must be recovered safely. While Ranger Rocketry’s first rocket’s payload would have placed in the competition, fin damage to the main rocket upon landing took them out of the running. The sec-ond rocket had a destructive event near 5,000 feet as it was still ascend-ing but coming out of Mach 1. The

team believes the payload section separated prematurely due to the sudden change in speed. The Argonia Cup was held April 7 and 8. Details on all of the teams registered for the competition can be found here: http://www.argonia-cup.com/the-challenge/teams. Calder has spent the last five years in the U.S. taking classes and will continue at Northwestern next year. Goddard has been on campus since fall 2017 and was on the men’s cross country team—he is now in the engineering program at OSU. Reed is also on the men’s cross coun-try team and will continue his pre-engineering coursework at North-western. Conaway has accepted a graduate position in statistics at OSU. Shimiyimana is participating in a summer internship program at OUHSC.

Updated -- Original story by Capri Gahr, Student Reporter

Ranger Rocketry students gain knowledge, experience

A rocket launch by Ranger Rocketry competitors at the Argonia, Kansas, contest. The Northwestern team gained valuable experience at the event.

Supersized paintings are workshop focus The visual arts program wel-comed Timberlake, Alva High School and Northwestern students to a free “Supersized Painting Workshop” April 28. “From working on an indepen-dent, gestural acrylic painting to creating an expansive, collaborative large-scale painting, students learned expressive, bold painting techniques while having fun,” Kyle Larson, assis-

tant professor of art, said. The workshop was conducted by Lar-son and students in the visual arts program. During the morning students worked on individual gestural paint-ings. Through direct observation of a constructed scene within the studio, students created an 18”x12’’ gestural acrylic painting. Students learned basic form building and mark-mak-

ing techniques while creating their own unique composition. During the afternoon, students used the skills acquired in their in-dividual paintings to create a large-scale collaborative painting. Stu-dents collaged together fragments of paintings, re-orchestrated composi-tions and imagery, and practiced ac-tive, gestural painting techniques.

Kyle Larson, assistant professor of art, instructs a participant with her gestural painting.

In the beginning of the supersized painting process, participants worked toward large paintings on the individual papers before many other layers of paper appeared.

Workshop participants take a moment to pose with their finished gestural work and the finished supersized painting.


Social work seniors from North-western recently participated in a service learning project which coin-cided with the National Association of Social Workers Oklahoma An-nual State Conference. Students had the opportunity to apply social work skills in the real world during a block party at a south Tulsa apartment complex known for its high crime rate.

Social work students from Oral Roberts University, Northeastern State University, the University of Oklahoma, East Central Univer-sity and Northwestern partnered with professional social workers to provide food, support and in-formation on local resources to residents of the Savanna Landing apartments, 1111 E. 60th St. and Peoria.

Northwestern students Annie Moss (right) and Dana Kausek help a young resident pick out a prize during the block party at the Savanna Landing Apartments in Tulsa on April 5. The photo by Brett Rojo and original story by Kyle Hinchey were printed in the online addition of the Tulsa World newspaper.

Seniors put skills to work

Showing our Ranger Pride at 2018 NASW-OK Conference are NWOSU social work alumni, students and faculty: Jessi Neal (2017), Annie Moss, Sierra Miller, Dana Kausek, Denise Tyrell, Dr. Kylene Rehder (2001), Lacey Vaughn (2013-NASW-OK undergraduate of the year), Ana Estrada (2012), Codi Harding (2017), DeeDee Nolan (2017-NASW-OK undergraduate of the year), Marcy Rael, and Jennifer Pribble (2012).

Those inducted into this year’s class were (left to right) Jordan Koehn, Dana Kausek, Levi Sanders, Jessica Goodballet, An-nie Moss, Denise Tyrell, Alicia James, and Professor Jennifer Pribble, LCSW. Not pictured: Madeline Turner.

Eight social work majors along with nine other social sciences students were inducted into the Pi Gamma Mu honors society on March 7, 2018, on the NWOSU Alva campus. A ceremony honoring their achievements took place with Jennifer Pribble, MSW, LCSW representing the social work department. Pi Gamma Mu was founded in 1924 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia and Southwestern College in Kansas. The mission of Pi Gamma Mu is to encour-age and promote excellence in the Social Sciences and to uphold and nurture scholarship, leadership, and service. The honor society is a member of, and provides leader-ship to, the national Association of College Honor So-

cieties. Membership requirements include a 3.4 GPA, inclusion in the top 1/3 of graduating class, and com-pletion of 20 hours of social sciences credits. Members enjoy advanced employment opportunities in federal and state positions, and may apply for graduate school scholarships. Membership is a distinctive honor. The Department of Social Work would like to thank Dr. Kay Decker and the social sciences depart-ment for inclusion of the department into the honors society. “It is a wonderful thing to get an opportunity to publicly acknowledge these talented social work stu-dents for both their academic achievements and their commitment to the service of others outside of the classroom,” said Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the De-partment of Social Work at NWOSU.

Eight inducted into Pi Gamma Nu

Dr. Marc Decker, assistant professor of music and director of bands from 2015-

2018, published an article on Dr. Ed Huckeby, former Northwestern faculty

member. The whole article may be found at the following link under March 2018 by

signing in. https://theinstrumentalist.com/issues/The-

Instrumentalist/

Kimberly Weast, professor of theatre, attended the annual Oklahoma Thespian Festival in February. She taught two workshops on Basic Movements for Actors. Along with teaching, Weast spent some time recruiting for the Northwestern Fine Arts Program.

Dr. Steve Thompson’s Ornithology class had the extremely good fortune to see Whoop-ing Cranes at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge twice this spring! Refuge Manager, Shane Kasson, confirmed that the first group, seen on April 3, included 29 birds and was the largest group seen together on the refuge at the same time. On April 19th, they saw a second group of 5 whoopers on the refuge. Whooping Cranes are an endangered species that migrates through Oklahoma each spring and fall.


Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization work-ing to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 268 students who will make up the organization’s 2018 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows, including Nor t hwester n’s own Riley Pearce. Pearce, a se-nior political sci-ence major, from Enid is an active member of the university’s Hon-ors Program, the Psychology Club and the Civic Fel-lowship Program. She’s been induct-ed into the Red & Black Scroll Hon-or Society and the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society. In May, she will complete her second internship at the Okla-homa State Capitol. “Riley is a public servant at heart,” Dr. Janet Cunningham, uni-versity president, said. “Her many volunteer activities include Feed the Children, Back-A-Youth, Food for Thought and March of Dimes. She is an advocate for legislation involv-ing the use of illegal substances by pregnant women and the effects on the child born with said substance in his/her system. She has already considered the possibility of seeking public office.” The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing per-sonal, professional and civic growth. Through the fellowship, Campus

Compact provides a variety of learn-ing and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partner-ship with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Sen-ate. The fellowship also provides

fellows with access to apply for exclu-sive scholarship and post-graduate op-portunities. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to cel-ebrate and engage with such an ex-traordinary group of students,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “The stories of this year’s

Newman Civic Fellows make clear that they are bringing people to-gether in their communities to solve pressing problems. That is what Campus Compact is about, and it’s what our country and our world desperately need.”

Riley Pearce

Campus Compact is a national coalition of 1,000+ colleges and uni-versities committed to the public pur-poses of higher education. Campus Compact supports institutions in ful-filling their public purposes by deep-ening their ability to improve com-munity life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. As the largest national higher ed-ucation association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, they provide professional develop-ment to administrators and faculty to enable them to engage effectively, facilitate national partnerships con-necting campuses with key issues in their local communities, build pilot programs to test and refine promis-ing models in engaged teaching and scholarship, celebrate and cultivate student civic leadership, and con-vene higher education institutions and partners beyond higher educa-tion to share knowledge and devel-op collective capacity. The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Founda-tion and Newman’s Own Founda-tion.

Pearce named Newman Civic Fellow

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students visited with legislators, including District 59 representative Carl Newton ,during the Association of Oklahoma Nurse Practitioner’s Day at the Capitol. Pictured are: Kim Trekell (left), Newton, Martha Royster, Dr. Pat Thompson and Christi Erford.

Nursing students visited the Capitol in February. The group talked with legislators about pertinent topics that affect nurs-ing, advance practice nursing and education.

Dr. Pat Thompson served as Nurse of the Day at the Capitol in February. This is an activity sponsored by the Oklahoma Nurses Association not only to increase the visibility of nurses, but also to provide nurse par-ticipants with experience in observ-ing the legislative process in action. Dr. Thompson was hosted by

Senator Pederson and Representa-tive Newton. In addition, she also made contact with legislators repre-senting districts in which the Enid, Ponca City, and Woodward cam-puses are located. Any RN can volunteer to be Nurse of the Day, and Dr. Thompson recommends this ex-perience!

Thompson is Nurse of the Dayat State Capitol in February

Dr. Pat Thompson

Dr. Pat Thompson attended the annual AACN Doctoral Education Conference in Naples, Florida, in January. This conference brings together national nurse educators and nurs-ing leaders to discuss trends in doc-toral nursing education.

A task force is being formed to define guidelines for DNP capstone projects, and Dr. Thompson has vol-unteered to help. That will benefit Northwestern students by ensuring that a high quality, practical, and interesting capstone project is re-quired of students in any DNP pro-

gram. She also attended the annual National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Conference (NONPF) in April in Indianapo-lis. She gained practical informa-tion and had beneficial networking opportunities.

Thompson attends conferences


Hundreds of dresses were given away for free to grateful students from 15 high schools in two states during the annual Primp for Prom event held in the Woodward High School Practice Gym this spring. This year more than 400 dresses and 75 pairs of shoes were donated to the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Department of Social Work and Woodward High School Key Club, who co-sponsor the event. “Primp for Prom is a heart-warming experience that high-lights the generosity of others and

the kindness that exists in our local communities,” Dr. Kylene Rehder, Department of Social Work chair, said. Appreciation from members of the Department of Social Work to those who helped with the event’s success goes to Woodward High School Key Club members; An-janette Laverty, Woodward High School counselor; Woodward Lead-ership Advisory Board; Tom and Dr. Deena Fisher; Kalle Laubhan, Northwestern social work student volunteer; Social Workers Associa-tion of Tomorrow (SWAT) campus

organization; Woodward High School employee volunteers; National Association of Social Workers-Oklahoma chapter; and all the generous dress and shoe donors from across northwest Oklahoma. “The Department of Social Work and the Key Club are always honored to sponsor this event for young women in the tri-state area,” Rehder said. “This event is about more than dresses for us; we see it as a means to embody our university mission to build a sense of commu-nity and provide service to others.”

More than 400 dresses and 75 pairs of shoes were donated this year to Primp for Prom, providing formal wear to hundreds of high school students in the tri-state area. Northwestern’s

Hundreds helped during Primp for Prom event

Northwestern has had two so-cial work majors, Marsellia Rael and Mirissa Branine, accepted into the National Education for Wom-en’s (N.E.W.) Leadership Institute. Both are students at Northwestern-Woodward. Each year, about 30 students are se-lected for the institute through a competi-tive application pro-cess. Rael and Bra-nine, both Woodward seniors, were chosen based on numerous factors including, but not limited to, individ-ual leadership potential; maturity; ability to deal with challenges; ca-pacity to reflect on one’s own per-sonal strengths and weaknesses; special interests; unique character-istics or diverse experiences that contribute to the N.E.W. Leader-ship learning goals,;interest in poli-tics, public service or public policy; and a commitment to participate fully in the N.E.W. Leadership in-stitute. N.E.W. Leadership is an in-

tense, five-day program that takes place each year on the University of Oklahoma’s Norman campus and is designed specifically for under-graduate women from colleges and universities across the state of Okla-

homa. Participants reside at the Alpha Phi House, and the entire experience, including housing and meals, is of-fered at no cost to students. This year the event was held from May 18-22. “Marsellia and

Mirissa are excep-tional students focused on public service and policy development that advances social well-being,” Dr. Kylene Rehder, social work depart-ment chair, said. “The department is excited for their opportunity to learn from some of the state’s most elite women.” The award-winning program educates and empowers undergrad-uate women to participate actively in politics and public service. The program connects students to policy

makers and community activists to engage them in shaping the public agenda. Launched in 2002, the pro-gram is part of the N.E.W. Leader-ship National Network at the Center for American Women and Politics

at Rutgers University. Program faculty in-cludes more than 50 women leaders from public life. They in-clude elected offi-cials, business leaders, community organiz-ers and members of the judiciary. The curriculum includes

skill-building work-shops, a campaign simulation, a net-working day at the Oklahoma State Capitol, a collaborative action proj-ect, panel discussions and more. The event brings participants together to engage directly with Oklahoma’s top women leaders. To date, more than 500 under-graduate women from 40 different universities and colleges and eight tribal nations across Oklahoma have graduated from the N.E.W. Leader-ship program.

Marsellia Rael Mirissa Branine

Rael, Branine chosen for leadership institute

Many social work students and practitioners from across the state gathered in April at the Oklahoma Capitol for the National Associa-tion of Social Workers, Oklahoma Chapter (NASW-OK) Legisla-tive Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD). Social work students and facul-ty from Northwestern were among the attendees who learned about current legislation impacting the

profession of social work and the populations they serve. They also engaged in macro-level social work, and learned effective ways to advocate for populations they will potentially serve and gained an un-derstanding of how to access public policy and interact with their legis-lators. “Legislative Education and Ad-vocacy Day provides the opportu-nity for students to learn about and

participate in two very important components of social work educa-tion, public policy and social justice advocacy,” Jennifer Pribble, assistant professor of social work and direc-tor of field education for the Depart-ment of Social Work, said. The day started with a welcome message from NASW-OK Board President Frannie Pryor, followed by The Honorable Don Anderson,

LCSW, ACSW, former state legisla-tor, and former commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Ser-vices. A panel comprised of NASW-OK Executive Director Steven Phar-ris, LCSW, JD, and Sabine Brown, Outreach and Advocacy Coordina-tor, was moderated by Dallas Petti-grew, MSW. The day concluded with opportunities to engage with legisla-tors.

Attending the National Association of Social Workers, Oklahoma Chapter (NASW-OK) Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) were (left to right) Morgan Lopez, Jen-nifer Pribble, Katie Barrows, Levi Sanders, Annie Moss, Sierra Miller and Jamie Metcalf.


Students, faculty attend ‘LEAD’ event

Continued to page 29

‘LEAD’ event...

Department of Social Work partners with the Woodward High School Key Club to sponsor this event annually in Woodward.


The Enid Campus Spring Awards and Graduation Reception was held late in April at the North-

Awards reception held in Enid

Graduate students who received honors and awards, plus those who qualified for graduation, were honored at a recent reception on Northwestern’s Enid Campus.

Students, instructorcomplete training Several nursing students completed Medical Reserve Corps training along with Dr. Mary Brune, assistant professor of nursing. The students and Dr. Brune were featured in the Challenge Award Highlight for NACCHO MRC Magazine. Congratulations to Dr. Brune, Rachel Mock, Amy Johnson and Cruz Nava!!

western Enid Commons. Graduating students are hon-ored at the event, which allows

family members to attend and meet with faculty members on campus. NWOSU Enid spring gradu-ates included: Undergraduates - Caitlin Blanton, Olga Copeland, Madeline Couch, Ty Lozano, Alicia Green, Adrian Ibara, Dana Kausek, Sierra Miller, Rachel Mock, An-nie Moss, Levi Nichols, Hal Ober-lander, Jennifer Pekrul, Alex Reed, Levi Sanders, Tanya Speckels, Kay-leigh Surratt, April Troop, Kim-berly Wheeler, Rhonda Worthen, Ana Zendejas. Graduate Students-Kristina Bernitsky, Nancy Crow, Nicholette Hastings, Kelsie How-ard, Jason Ogg, Michael Prokopis, Jessica Taylor, Jennifer Thompson and Brenda Wells.

All undergraduate students who qualified for graduation and those who received awards were honored at a reception

On Thursday, Feb. 1, the Depart-ment of English, Foreign Language, and Humanities held its annual Vis-iting Writer series events. The Vis-

iting Writer series brings Oklahoman writers to n o r t h w e s t O k l a h o m a every spring. This year, the department w e l c o m e d writer Lou Berney. Ber-ney lives in

Oklahoma City and is a graduate professor of writing at Oklahoma City University. He has won the Ed-gar Award as well as written for Hol-lywood productions. Thursday night, before an au-dience of 40 individuals, Berney read from his novel The Long and Faraway Gone. The novel centers around the aftermath of a mur-der and missing teenage girl. The survivors of these incidents deal with their memories and the mystery. The reading was well received, with 18 copies of the novel sold. After his reading, Berney signed his book for the attend-ees and spoke more about his writing. In the lead-up to the Feb. 1 reading, the EFLH depart-ment held a #read-rangersread selfie contest. Students were encouraged to take selfies inside a

“frame” and tweet @NWOSUEng-lish. Three winners were chosen, with over $100 in prizes given away. Altogether, Berney’s event had over 122 participants. Before and after the Thursday night reading, he spoke to four classes about his nov-el, his writing, and his experiences. He also attended lunch with English majors and professors on Feb. 1.

Lou Berney takes time at the end of his session to sign books for people in attendance after having presented a reading.

Dr. Roxie James, assistant professor of English (left), and Dr. Kathryn Lane, associate professor of English (right), pose with Lou Berney at the book signing event.

Bestselling author, Berney, is visiting writer

Lou Berney

English majors Brayden Wilson and Patricia Pixler with Visiting Writer Lou Berney inside the #readrangersread selfie frame. Photo by Dawn Allen.

held in late April on the Enid campus.


Northwestern’s Social Workers Association of Tomorrow (SWAT), Enid Leadership Council and the Enid Psychology Club took part in the “Wooden Children” project sponsored by the Garfield County Child Advocacy Center. The “Wooden Children” project is designed to bring attention to the number of child abuse cases that are investigated each year. In 2017, 246 confirmed cases of child abuse were reported in Garfield County. Each wooden figure is approxi-mately two to three feet high and was cut out by volunteers from Vance Air Force Base. Once the forms were cut out, the Junior Wel-fare League and other individuals painted on the faces and hair. Organizations, businesses, groups and individuals were asked to “foster” a wooden child for $25. The group sponsoring the child dressed and displayed it where they chose from March 14-30. On March 30 the Wooden Children were tak-en to the courthouse lawn to be displayed for all of April, which is

The 246 wooden characters displayed on the northeast corner of the Garfield County Courthouse were used to increase community awareness of children abused or neglected in Garfield County.

Child Abuse Prevention Month. “Child abuse is such a silent ac-tion and is not majorly discussed, so this event gives the opportunity to bring a visual representation of the severity of child abuse in this area,” Jennifer Pribble, assistant professor

of social work, said. “April is Nation-al Child Abuse Prevention Month and the amount of awareness this event is bringing to this community will hopefully assist with future pre-vention of child abuse.”

Enid groups participate in ‘Wooden Child’ event

Dr. Kay Decker, professor of so-ciology and chair of the Department of Social Sciences, was named to two state boards plus one county commit-tee during the last academic year.. Decker’s terms of service with Oklahoma Main Street Advisory Board of Directors and the Oklahoma Affordable Housing Coalition Board of Directors will continue for the next four years. She was also named to the Woods County Economic Develop-ment Committee. As a board member for Oklaho-ma Main Street, she will assist in plan-

ning new initiatives and goals for the Main Street program across the state. Oklahoma’s Main Street Program is a Division of the State Depart-ment of Commerce and car-ries out the mission of the National Trust’s Main Street program. The Oklahoma Afford-able Housing Coalition supports the mission of the National Affordable Hous-ing Coalition and its goal of preserv-ing and developing affordable, quality housing for all Americans.

In April, Decker attended the American Bankers Association Gov-ernment Relations Summit in Wash-

ington, DC. She met with Senator Lankford and his staff and Congressman Rus-sell’s staff to discuss ongoing needs for federal support for affordable housing and eco-nomic development for rural America.

Decker is also the executive director of the non-profit Freedom West Community Develop-ment Corporation.

Decker named to 2 state boards, 1 county committee

Kay Decker

Northwestern’s Game Program-ming teams participated for the fifth time in the University of Tulsa’s annual Heartland Gaming Exposition in early April, placing in several categories. Students from across Oklahoma compete in high school, collegiate and independent developer catego-ries, as well as in a competition for the Code Jam Challenge. Computer science majors who attended included Alten Adair, Waynoka freshman; Chris Dickson, Marrero, Louisiana, senior; Justin Dobbs, Aline sophomore; Jackson Gardner, Lawton sophomore; Da-kota Jantz, Helena junior; Jacob Marr, Laverne junior; and Austin Mount, Garber senior. Northwestern instructor of com-puter science Evan Vaverka attend-ed the event as a sponsor. Dickson got first place in the Game Showcase Virtual Reality cat-egory. Dickson would like to work for a video game studio as a developer in the future and continues to develop his own ideas while pursuing work in the IT field. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at the Heartland Gaming Expo; I’m always surrounded by like-minded people who want to put their skills to the test in a friendly competition,” he said. “My project was a two-year project in the making, with last year being a concept that didn’t place, so to upgrade my concept into a play-able version and take home first place really meant a lot to me.” Dickson, with his group part-ner Adair, also got third place in the 168-hour Code Jam. Mount, Gard-ner, Jantz and Dobbs got second place in the Code Jam. Marr got sec-

ond place in the Scoring and Sound Design category. The Code Jam Challenge gives participants five days before the expo to complete their interpreta-tion of the given topic by designing, developing and implementing an original game. Gardner enjoys being a comput-er science major and looks forward to the gaming expo and other work that fuels his passion and interests. “Having the chance to do some-

thing like [the expo], to get your mind off of the craziness that is college sometimes, is nice to me,” he said. Vaverka was impressed with all of his students’ abilities not only to create the games but also to market and promote the games to others. “I am incredibly proud of all four teams that competed and ultimately placed in their divisions,” Vaverka said. “I know they worked hard, and I am happy that they were rewarded for their hard work.”

This year computer science majors (Left to Right) Justin Dobbs, Alten Adair, Chris Dickson, Dakota Jantz, Austin Mount, Jacob Marr and Jackson Gardner all came home with awards from the Heartland Gaming Expo.

Game programming teams place at exposition

The Civic Education Fellowship Program, which sends one or two students each year to serve as legislative interns at the state capitol, has selected this year’s awardees. Riley Pearce, a political science major, will be working with Representa-tive Carl Newton. Brittany Westervelt, a history major, will be working with Senator Roland Pederson. Pearce plans to attend NWOSU’s American Studies program in the fall. Westervelt plans to enter a master’s program in the fall in historical archiving studies/library sciences. Pearce was also selected to represented NWOSU as this year’s Newman Award winner and will represent NWOSU in this national program of Civic Education. Both of these students will represent NWOSU as interns at the state capitol during the week of May 14-18th. They performed a variety of tasks for staff and for our elected officials while they were there. We are proud to be able to continue this program. Both students received a $200 stipend once they submitted their reflection paper on their experience after the completion of the internship.

Pearce, Westervelt selected as interns


Library celebratesBlack History

Month

The University Singers presented a short concert on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at noon in the J.W. Martin Library, in recognition of Black History Month. Selections came from historical figures William Grant Still and Aretha Franklin. Music was based on the library display created for Black History Month.

Right: Mikayla Carpenter and Madison Hofen were featured soloists on “Respect” by Aretha Franklin.

After a day of choral workshopping, Mr. Long-hurst directed students from Liberal, Kansas, in

a joint concert! What an amazing event!

The Choral Music department had a great visit to Liberal, Kansas, again this year! Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies, and a few music majors spent a day in Febru-ary working with all of the middle school and high school choirs.

More than 50 people united in re-hearsals, set building, and preparing cos-tumes and stage props as the Northwest-ern Fine Arts Department prepared for “Nunsense: The Mega Musical” in Febru-ary. This musical is a hilarious talent show staged by five nuns from Hobo-ken who are the only sisters to survive botulism at the nunnery after eating vi-chyssoise prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God. Before all of the deceased sisters can be buried, Reverend Mother Supe-

rior buys a plasma TV for the convent - resulting in not having enough mon-ey to bury the four remaining sisters (who, by the way, are temporarily be-ing stored in the freezer). The remain-ing five sisters parade their talents at a variety show staged to raise funds so that the last four of the dearly departed can be buried. “We wanted to do something en-couraging, uplifting and fun – all rolled

up into one,” theatre Professor Kimberly Weast said when explaining why she decided on this musical. Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies, served as the musi-cal director while Connie Bryant, a December graduate from Cherokee, served as choreographer. Mickey Jor-dan, Iowa Park, Texas, graduate stu-dent, designed the set, and Tori Hur-ley, Sheffield, Iowa, senior, and Weast worked with the lighting design. Weast also worked on costuming and the au-

dio design while Nicholas Wygle, Noble junior, ran the audio board. Allie Smith, Hawkins, Texas, soph-omore, served as the Stage Manag-er. The theatre production I and II classes built the set. Cast members, their character names, hometowns and classifications included Chloe Henderson as Sister Mary Leo, Conway Springs, Kansas, freshman; Ken-zi Winter as Sister Amnesia, Ft. Supply fresh-man; Michelle Penner as Reverend Mother, Cherokee post-graduate; Erin Hopkins-Davis as Sister Mary Hubert, Fairview senior; Ansley Elliot as Sister Robert Anne, Tecumseh sopho-more; Allyssa Casey as Sister Mary Wilhelm, Alta Loma, California, sophomore; Maxwell Ar-cher as Broth-er Simon, Tulsa fresh-man; Zedan Borrie as

Brother Luke, Blackwell junior; Michael Day as Brother Timothy, Okeene fresh-man; Erin Lehr as Sister Mary Lou-ise, Alva graduate student; Kather-ine Blair as Sister Kim, Waynoka sophomore; Dr. Richmond Ad-ams as Friar Virgil, assistant professor of English; Hurley as Sister Julia, Child of God; and Jordan as

Brother Brendan. Members of University Singers took part in the production, as did members of the university band who provided live musical accompaniment. University Singers in the production included Mikayla Carpenter, Clinton freshman; Katelyn Cutsinger, Vici junior; Zach Henson, Checotah freshman; Reginald Hinson, Bristow freshman; Madison Hofen, Alva junior; Merce-dez Kirkhart, Alva sophomore; Erin Norrie, Enid senior; Aaron Pierce, Alva junior; Alexis Shaffer, Kiowa, Kansas, sophomore; Tori Witchey, La-verne freshman; Borrie, Day and Winter. Members of the band included on trumpet - Dr. Marc Decker, former assistant professor of music and director of bands at Northwestern; and Dr. Tim Maharry, professor of mathematics and chair of the math/computer science department; trombone – Brittni Tay-lor, Enid sophomore; alto saxophone – Jacob Steckbeck, Enid freshman; flute – Mikalyn Stu-ber, Enid freshman; clarinet – Amanda Metcalf, Enid junior; piano – Susan Duell, former adjunct instructor of music; violin – Greg Simpson, R.L. Simpson and Michael Simpson from Kiowa, Kansas; drummer – Darin Kearns, pastor of the Alva Friends Church; and bass guitar – Kyle Newland, former instrumentalist and singer at Northwestern originally from Blackwell. “We were on stage playing live for the musical and a part of the show. We

were thrilled to be working with North-western students, alumni and friends in the community,” Longhurst said.

The cast, crew, singers and band of “Nunsense: The Mega Musical.”

“Nunsense: The Mega Musical” 2018

“Nunsense: The Mega Musical” was a mega hit


New faces in the nursing division Pam Hess joined the Division of Nursing as the division adminis-trative assistant in December 2017. Pam supports the division through her work with the chair and BSN faculty on preparation of a wide va-

Pam Hess Jennifer Wolf

riety of reports, assistance with the organization of the annual student application process, participation in various student recruitment activi-ties, and the all-important mainte-nance of the division’s many records and resources for BSN accreditation. Hess is often one of the first people in the division who interacts with stakeholders in the office as well as on the phone and through email. Jennifer Wolf joined the Division of Nursing as the administrative as-sistant for the DNP program in June 2018. Jennifer will assist Dr. Patri-cia Thompson, DNP program direc-tor, and the DNP faculty with their admissions process; correspond with a wide variety of stakeholders; actively recruit for and provide in-formation about the BSN-to-DNP program in the surrounding com-munities; and assist in the prepa-ration of the initial BSN-to-DNP

program accreditation report. Wolf will also assist the division with the needs of the Faculty Committee. We welcome both ladies into the Northwestern family.

More than 300 pieces of artwork were on display in March at the 15th annual Northwestern Art Society (NAS) Art Show in the J.W. Martin Li-brary in Alva. The wide variety of art is on display included paintings, drawings, photogra-phy and quilts from current students, employees, retired employees and alumni.

Students entered 226 pieces into the show and were eligible for ribbons and cash prizes. Non-students en-tered 125 pieces for the show. “We have 70 pieces entered in the visual arts student categories,” NAS sponsor Angelia Case said. “This is something that I am in-credibly excited about, and our club members are, too.” The Best of Show Award is the top prize for the student and non-

student entries. This year, a pencil drawing and a wooden sculpture were judged to be the best.

In the s t u d e n t contest bi-ology ma-jor Aman-da Breeden, C h e ro k e e freshman, earned the

top award for “Self Portrait,” an entry in the Works on Paper area

for People/Portraiture. Breeden earned $75 and a purple ribbon for her winning artwork. In the non-student area Northwestern maintenance em-ployee Glenn Gagnon’s wood sculpture titled “Plowing Field” earned the purple ribbon. This piece was entered in the Artisan Crafts area. Everyone entering the art show was eligible for the People’s Choice ribbon and a $50 cash prize. The People’s Choice award was deter-mined by those who viewed the art show and submit-ted votes. Gavrav Dhungana e a r n e d the Peo-

ple’s Choice award with his photo-graph “Cloud River Over Mountain.” A l l pieces that placed in the on-campus show were exhibited at

NWOSU Art Society members prepare art entries for display.

The show was displayed in the J.W. Martin Library during March.

the April First Friday Art Walk event in downtown Alva. Visitors at the Winner’s Show also voted on a Peo-ple’s Choice Award. Tiffany Willson earned the honor for her painting titled “Be Courageous.” A list showing all winners from the campus show is available at www.nwosu.edu/art/nas-art-show. “The Art Society doesn’t have many members, but the group works hard on fundraising throughout the year so it can provide this opportu-nity to our Ranger family to show-case their talents,” Case said. “We also appreciate the support of the Student Government Association for its co-sponsorship of the show and Dr. Ken Brown for his support at the Winner’s Show.”

Ken Kelsey, instructor of history and fine arts, leads a discussion about the art show pieces with NWOSU Art Society members.

Dr. Jenny Sattler, assistant professor of physics, Shawna Gilbert, assistant profes-sor of library and information services, and Dr. Mary Riegel, assistant professor of mathematics, lend their creative touches during the set-up phase of the show.

Art Show brings 300+ works to view

For the fifth year, members of the Northwestern Scholar Ambassadors treated the Homestead’s residents to a prom.

Northwestern Scholar Ambassadors

Prom Time!

Jean De Dieu Nshimiyimana gives masks to resi-dents.

Wyatt Bolner and friend pause for a quick smile.

Maddie Cates has a nice conversation with retired ag instructor, Leo Brandt, during the prom at the Homestead.


The Northwestern News won 16 awards, including best overall student newspaper in the Diamond Division, at the annual Oklahoma Collegiate Media Association spring conference. Editors Ashley Strehl and Mi-chelle Willson and adviser Dr. Kaylene Armstrong attended the conference, which was held at Okla-homa State University in Stillwater on April 6. The newspaper won five first-place awards, two of which were for the staff: overall newspaper and in-terior page design. An individual or team won the other three first-place awards: Katie Lackey, multimedia storytelling; Rachel Emerson, Vic-toria Schnaufer, Jake Goodman, Collin Stork for team enterprise/investigative reporting; and Melissa Noland, enterprise/investigative re-porting. The staff placed second in front-page design. Sports editor Sami Mc-Guire won three second-place hon-ors: sports photography, reporting portfolio and multimedia storytell-ing. Other individual/team winners were Haylee Bates, general news reporting; Katy Hart, Taylor Mor-ris, Melissa Noland, Cooper Stanley for team enterprise/investigative re-porting; and Adriana Becerra, en-terprise/investigative reporting. Third-place awards went to Sami McGuire, sports photography; Erin Davis, multimedia storytelling; and Rachel Emerson, general news reporting. Ethan Sacket earned an honorable mention in reviews. “Many people don’t understand how much work these kids put in every week to produce the North-western News,” said Armstrong, who has been the adviser for three

years. “I am proud of the work they do and the willingness all the students in mass communication have to pro-duce great work for the newspaper and other areas of our department.” Student newspapers across the state entered work that appeared be-tween Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2017. Some of the Northwestern News winners graduated in May and December. The Northwestern News com-peted against student newspapers at

Northwestern News editors Ashley Strehl, left, and Michelle Willson show off some of the awards the newspapers staff won on April 6 at the Oklahoma Collegiate Media As-sociation spring conference at OSU in Stillwater.

smaller schools such as Northeast-ern, Southwestern and Southeast-ern, who are all part of the Diamond Division of OCMA. The Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association began in 1975 and changed its name in fall 2010 to Oklahoma Collegiate Media Asso-ciation. Its mission has always been to “promote and improve student media at Oklahoma’s colleges and universities.”

Northwestern News wins 16 awards

Thank You!Thanks to all who helped make this newsletter possible. Without everyone submitting news items and photos, we wouldn’t be able to highlight the suc-cesses and fun at Northwestern.

Special thanks go to the University Relations staff - Valarie Case, Erin Davis and Ali Gavitt - for all the photos and stories they have made available. Also, thanks to Leslie Nation at the Northwestern Foundation/Alumni Association office for your help as well.

We welcome your information at any time of year. You can send an email to James Bell ([email protected] and/or Angelia Case ([email protected]. There is also a link to submit here: https://www.nwosu.edu/spotlight-newsletter

Students from eight schools earned top awards during the North-west Oklahoma Regional Science Fair held at Northwestern Oklaho-ma State University this spring. Since 1957, Northwestern has played host to this science fair. The event has evolved over the years to become one of outreach and service learning, and has served as a spring-board for aspiring students. The fair serves the northwest counties of Oklahoma and is a feeder fair for the Oklahoma State Science & Engi-neering Fair (OSSEF) held annually in Ada at East Central University (ECU). At the regional fair, judges have the capability of advancing a project to the International Sci-ence and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in

International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pa., qualifiers (left to right) Lillian Ingraham and Taylor McKinney from Fairview receive awards from Dr. Steven Thompson, professor of biology at Northwestern, at the Regional Science Fair. Not Pic-tured is qualifier Kylee Pameticky from Fairview.

Kylee Pameticky (left) from Fairview receives a $1500 Northwestern Senior Scholarship at the March 8 Regional Science Fair. The award was presented by Dr. Steven Thompson, professor of biology.

Patrick Morgan (left) from Fargo-Gage Public Schools received his Reserve Champion in Division II Award from Dr. Steven Thomp-son, professor of biology at Northwestern.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants are divided into two

categories: division I grades 10 -12, and division II grades 7-9.

Regional science fair held on campus

Pameticky, Ingraham, McKinney at International Science and Engineering Fair This year, Northwestern advanced two projects at the Regional Science Fair (one was a team project) to the In-

tel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF). Kylee Pameticky, Lillian In-graham and Taylor McKinney, all from

Fairview, also each received NWOSU scholarships for their projects at the NWOSU Regional Science Fair.

Photos courtesy of Shawn Cusack, teacher


Northwestern’s Visual Arts pro-gram played host to two Artists-in-Residence during the spring semester – Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez in February and Marianne Hoffmeister in March and April. Ramirez is a Salvadoran-Amer-ican artist from Prince George’s County, Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Old Domin-ion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She currently works and lives in Austin, Texas. Her work is based on notions of memory, personal and historical amnesia, and migration that trace the veins of the Central American diaspora. In an attempt to fill gaps within her personal history, she cre-ates images that validate truth, false memories and fantasy. To view Ramirez’s work, visit www.stephaniecramirez.com. Hoffmeister’s residency at Northwestern was a collaboration between the Visual Arts program, the Molten Capital Residency and APECH (Asociación de Pintores y Escultores de Chile) in Santiago, Chile. Hoffmeister was selected from a large number of artist appli-cants in Chile, with Molten Capital and APECH presiding over the first rounds of the selection process. The Santiago, Chile, native grad-uated from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art. She has exhibited her work extensively in Santiago and recently completed the “The Map is not the Territory” residency at Cow House Studios in Dublin, Ireland. About her work, Hoffmeister

said, “My work reflects on the explo-ration and construction of diverse graphic systems and representation-al models such as catalogues, maps, archive material, atlas and systems whose purpose is domesticating knowledge and giving a provisory order to the world. Through media such as drawing and installation I propose new classifying systems or modifications to existing graphic languages to seek the experience of impossibility and, ultimately, pres-ent that the world we take for grant-ed is a perishable pact and certainty is subject to constant transforma-tions.” While at Northwestern, Hoff-meister presented an art workshop titled “Drawing Laboratory: Ex-

perimental Four-Session Workshop Based on Ideas of Contemporary Drawing.” To view Hoffmeister’s work, visit http://cargocollective.com/marian-nehoffmeister. Both spring semester artists-in-residence presented artist talks, as well as exhibitions in the Jesse Dunn Art Annex of the work they created while here. Hoffmeister also pre-sented her drawings at the Runny-mede Hotel during First Friday Art Walk events. All artists-in-residence also help Kyle Larson, assistant pro-fessor of art, by providing feedback to the students in the program on their artwork and showing them what it’s like to be professional art-ists.

January/February Artist-

in-Residence, Stephanie

Concepcion Ramirez, talks with students

during her culminating

exhibit in Jesse Dunn Annex.

March/April Artist-in-Residence, Marianne Hoffmeister, visits with art students during her culminating show.

Two artists-in-residence visit during semester

Many faculty and staff members took part in the annual Staff vs. Student basketball game.

Northwestern’s choirs, which consist of the University Singers and the Uni-versity Chorale, presented “Soundscapes III” on Friday, April 27, at the Alva Inde-pendent School District armory. This is the third year the choirs have chosen this unique location for a concert because of its great acoustics, historic setting, and public interest. Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies, looks forward to this one-of-a-kind concert experience achieved through using the venue’s built-in stage and sharing the unique sounds of the choir members’ voices

generated in the space. The choirs performed a variety of pieces highlighting songs from the Renaissance to modern day and from all around the world. Longhurst said he “chose songs that would accentuate the reverber-ant qualities of the bus barn. Be-cause we don’t have a large hall like the ancient churches of Europe, the bus barn will do.” Longhurst explained that songs from India, Indonesia, Israel, Af-rica, England, and America were featured. Most of the music was a

cappella, but a few pieces were ac-companied by guitar, drums, piano and violin. Madison Hofen, junior music education major from Alva, served as the choir president this year and was excited about the concert. She said they performed a lot of really interesting and unique pieces that were perfect for the reverberant sound of the bus barn. One of my favorite pieces they performed was called Amavolovolo. It is an Afri-can song with lots of movement and percussion.

Choirs present ‘Soundscapes III’ in armory

The University Chorale was one of two chorale groups to perform. Because of popular demand, Soundscapes III, returned to the old armory, now known as the Alva School District Bus Barn. Three years ago, while snooping around the old buildings of Alva for a

rustic and reverberant acoustic, Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies, stumbled upon the historic bus barn. Since, they have trans-formed the space into a concert hall three times for a night and basked in the lingering echoes of music from Renaissance to Contemporary.


The Alva Branch of the Ameri-can Association of University Wom-en (AAUW) presented the annual AAUW scholarship to NWOSU se-nior Priscilla Avalos. This $500 scholarship, voted on by AAUW members, is given annu-ally to an individual who is a full-time student at Northwestern. They must also demonstrate leadership, academic achievement and finan-cial need to pursue their educational goals. Avalos graduated in May with a dual degree in chemistry and bi-ology. She will continue graduate study in the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sci-ences Center. AAUW is an advocacy group which promotes equity in educa-tion, professional development, health, salary and career opportu-nities for women around the world (www.aauw.org ).

Northwestern senior Priscilla Avalos is presented with a 2018 AAUW student scholar-ship by Alva Branch AAUW co-presidents, Dr. Cindy Pfeifer-Hill and Carol Erikson. This award was presented at the NWOSU Literacy Center in the Joe Struckle Education Center on the Alva campus of Northwestern.

The Alva Branch of AAUW has been active for over 75 years, and NWOSU has been a long-time col-

lege partner. More about AAUW and the Alva branch can be found at http://alva-ok.aauw.net.

Avalos earns AAUW scholarship

2018 NWOSU scholarships award-ed at NWOSU Regional Science Fair: $4,000 2018 NWOSU scholarships award-ed to senior projects at Oklahoma State Science & Engineering Fair (OSSEF): $4,500 (to be applied in 2018-2019) 2018 NWOSU scholarships award-ed to junior projects at Oklahoma State Science & Engineering Fair (OSSEF): $7,500 (to be applied in 2019-2020) 40 continuing student scholarships were awarded in the spring of 2018 (to be applied to the 2018-19 academic year), totaling $24,564. The average award per student was $555.42.

Natural Sciencescholarship update

In April, the Northwestern Jazz Ensemble, Symphony Band and Community Band presented their spring band concert “The Winds of Spring.” The Jazz Ensemble performed such pieces as “The Jazz Police” by Gordon Goodwin and “Hallelu-jah, I Love Her So” by Ray Charles, which featured vocal music major Katelyn Cutsinger, Vici senior, as a vocalist. The community band program promotes involvement with both the community and the band stu-dents. This organization is open to anyone in the community who can play an instrument, including col-lege students not currently enrolled in band. The Community Band was com-prised of Northwestern students

and 15 community members. The band members met Tuesday eve-nings throughout the second half of the semester to pre-pare for the concert. They performed “Fandango for Mal-let Percussion and Band” by Oscar Stover, directed by music education major Amanda Metcalf, Enid se-nior; and “Pan-dora” by Randall Standridge, direct-ed by music educa-tion major Autumn Detamore, El Reno junior. “Arabian Dances” by Roland Barrett and “Cum-

berland Cross” by Carl Strommen rounded out the Community Band program.

‘The Winds of Spring’ concludes season for bands

Jazz EnsembleMembers of the Symphony Band present Dr. Marc Decker with a Ranger memento at his final Northwestern concert.

Student conductor Autumn Detamore, El Reno junior music education major, directs “Pandora” by Randall Standridge.

Enid senior Amanda Metcalf, student conductor, directs “Fandango for Mallet Percussion and Band” by Oscar Stover. Katie Blair was featured on marimba.

Dr. Marc Decker, director of bands, conducts the Symphony band during his final concert at Northwestern.


Members of Northwestern’s Student Support Services began their summer JumpStart pro-gram on the Alva campus June 4. This is the 2nd year for the sum-mer program, which will end on July 31. The students from Aline, Alva, Freedom, Laverne, Weatherford, and Woodward attend classes Monday and Tuesday and com-plete online assignments the rest of the week. Five students attend-ed the June math session, and 12 students are attending the July English session. These students will al l be incoming freshmen at Northwestern in the fall. “I couldn’t be more pleased about the progress and success of JumpStart,’” Dr. Den-nis Angle, Student Support Services di-rector, said. “This program is a collab-orative effort – the instructors (Keenan Meeker and Dr. Jen-nifer Page) along with their depart-ment heads (Dr. Tim Maharray and Dr. Kathryn Lane), Dr. James Bell (associ-ate vice president for academics and dean of faculty), Calleb Mosburg (dean of student affairs and enrollment man-agement) and our office make it hap-pen.”

Angle said the summer Jump-Start program is an attempt to help selected students obtain a brief sample of college life, com-plete one or two courses and learn the skills necessary for uni-versity success. During the program, the stu-dents also attend workshops ad-dressing stress management, test preparedness, RangerNet, time management, Blackboard, study-ing skills, university life and more. Student Support Services staff working with the summer program include program ad-visers RaLyssa Harris and Abbie Haskins and administrative as-sistant Rachel Richardson. Serv-

ing as student peers are North-western juniors Alicia Amaya, Ponca City; and Derek Blow, Ri-alto, California. Instructors this year include, for Beginning Algebra, Keenan Meeker, instructor of mathe-matics at Northwestern, and for Composition I with a lab, Dr. Jennifer Page, assistant professor of English at Northwestern. The students are staying in university housing while on campus and eating their meals in Coronado Café. For more information on Northwestern’s Student Support Services program, please contact Angle at [email protected] or (580) 327-8119.

Summer JumpStart Program Begins

Student Support Services summer JumpStart program participants and staff are (back row, left to right): Rachel Richardson, RaLyssa Harris, Luke Bolar, Hunter McEachern, Blake Miller, Adam Ole-winski, Abbie Haskins, Dr. Dennis Angle; (front row, left to right): Alicia Amaya, Jacey Schaaf, Stepha-nie Salgado, Jordan Cepero and Derek Blow. Not pictured is Kari Castor.

Northwestern played host to the 2018 Red Carpet Honor Band in Janu-ary. Following a number of rehearsals, nearly 300 middle school and high school students from across northwest Oklahoma performed in a concert open to the public in Herod Hall Audi-torium. These students formed three bands: Junior High A Band, Junior High B Band and High School Band. The stu-dents rehearsed all day Friday and Sat-urday morning prior to Saturday’s con-cert. The students demonstrated what they had learned over the course of two days in their performance. Schools with participants included Alva, Buffalo, Blackwell, Cherokee, Chisholm, Cimarron, Deer Creek-Lamont, Drummond, Emerson Junior High, Enid, Fairview, Fargo, Garber, Hennessey, Kingfisher, Kremlin-Hill-sdale, Laverne, Longfellow Junior High, Medford, Mooreland, Newkirk,

Okeene, Oklahoma Bible Academy, Perry, Pioneer-Pleasant Vale, Ponca City High School, Ponca City West, Ponca City East, Pond Creek-Hunter, Ringwood, Seiling, Vici, Watonga, Waller Junior High, Waukomis, Way-noka, Woodward and Woodward Middle School. Dr. Marc Decker, assistant pro-

fessor of music and director of bands at Northwestern, looked forward to meeting prospective students from the Oklahoma area. “I’m delighted that Northwestern plays host to this event,” Decker said. “Essentially, it brings in over 300 po-tential future Rangers to our campus every year.”

Alva businessman Gary Adams, representing the Alva Sonic Drive-In, presented a donation of $1,500 to Northwestern’s Choral and Vocal Studies program. “I’m giving this donation because I like to sing,” Adams said. Northwestern vocal music education majors accepting the donation along with Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies at Northwestern, included Katelyn Cutsinger, Vici junior; Kenzi Winter, Fort Supply freshman; Aaron Pierce, Alva junior; and Madison Hofen, Alva junior.

Red Carpet Honor Band back on campus


Northwestern’s Department of Fine Arts played host to the NWOSU Guitar Festival April 7 in the Fine Arts building. In its second year, the Guitar Fes-tival’s purpose is to provide young guitarists an outlet to perform and receive constructive feedback. “The guitar festival is a new idea that started because the guitar is an instrument not allowed to perform at the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association band district solo ensemble contest,” Dr. Marc Decker, assistant professor of fine arts, director of instrumental music and music education, said. “There is certainly a need in the area to have a solo ensemble contest for guitar.” The students participating are mainly from the northwestern re-gion. The contest is held for middle schoolers and high schoolers only. The youngest allowed to perform are 6th graders, and the oldest al-lowed to perform are high school

seniors. An awards ceremony was held after the festival. The top three per-formers of the day, selected by the judge, performed again for everyone. In the future, Northwestern may

The 2018 NWOSU Guitar Festival was a complete success! Thanks to all those involved and to Max Ridgway for judging.

put together a piano contest at which students may compete and perform. The piano is another instrument that the OSSAA band district does not allow to perform at the solo en-semble contest.

Guitar Festival makes 2nd appearance

During the spring semester, the Ranger Bands brought to campus more than 2,000 middle and high school stu-dents for several events. The Ranger Bands were involved with recruiting events such as the Red Carpet Honor Band Clinic, Small School Honor Band, OSSAA District Band Con-test, the NWOSU Guitar Festival, and, on our Enid campus, the jazz band compo-nent of the Tri-State Music Festival. In addition, the Symphony Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Community Band performed at two major concerts en-titled “Masterpieces” and “The Winds of Spring.”Dineo Heilmann, adjunct instructor of music, performs with the Symphony Band.

Bands bring 2000+student to campus

Northwestern’s Staff Coun-cil once again sponsored Campus Cleanup Day events in Alva, Enid and Woodward in April. On Wednesday, April 18, on the Alva campus, all students and uni-versity employees, clubs and organi-zations were welcome to volunteer their services to help give the cam-pus a facelift prior to welcoming alumni and guests back to campus for the annual Spring Reunion Day events on April 28. On Wednesday, April 25, Staff Council members joined student and employee volunteers at the Woodward campus from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and at the Enid campus from 2 to 4 p.m. Staff Council appreciates all of the volunteers for these events because they could not do it without them.

The Staff Council also appreci-ates Dr. Mindi Clark, assistant pro-fessor of agriculture, and her stu-dents for growing and providing the plants to be planted on the campus-es during these events. A record of the number of hours

volunteered by employees and stu-dents was kept so it could be re-flected in service learning report-ing. Everyone who volunteered was asked to sign in and provide the ap-proximate amount of time available to work.

Alva Campus Work Group

Enid Campus Work Group

Derek Blow, Mercedes Kirhart and Bailey Cook get ready to plant flowers provided by Dr. Mindi Clark and her horticulture class at the Alva campus. Woodward and Enid received flowers on April 25.

Woodward Woodward Enid

Alva

Campus Cleanup successful again


Dr. Marc Decker, former director of bands, and five instrumen-tal music students attended OkMEA conference in Tulsa during January. The group participated in honor band, attending pro-fessional development sessions and recruiting. Attending were: Decker, Katherine Blair, Alyssa Mitchell, Kenzi Winter, Autumn Detamore and Amanda Metcalf.

Karsten Longhurst, director of choral studies, and five vocal major students attended OkMEA Conference in Tulsa! They had a great time recruiting new students and attending professional development sessions. Attending were: Mikayla Carpenter, Kate-lyn Cutsinger, Longhurst, Adrianna Tibbetts, Madison Hofen and Aaron Pierce.

Tori Hurley, a senior speech and the-atre major from Sheffield, Iowa, directed her capstone theatrical production from Northwestern ’s Department of Fine Arts titled “The Glass Menagerie” in April. “The Glass Menagerie” focuses on the

Wingfield family in the 1930’s as they struggle with everyday life. They deal with issues within the family, jobs and finding a man for the young daughter, Laura. The cast and roles for the production are as follows: Karlie Osborn, senior his-tory major from Medicine Lodge, Kan., as “Laura Wingfield;” Ethan Sacket, freshman business major from Fairview, as “Tom Wingfield;” Dr. Susan Perkins Vineyard, speech and theatre alumna from Enid as “Amanda Wingfield;” and Peyton Lucas, freshman psychology major from Fairview, as “Jim O’Conner.” Hurley brought in Dr. Susan Perkins-Vineyard, who starred on the NWOSU in the same role in 1981. Northwestern’s theatre program prepares students for their future by putting them in charge of their own final capstone project. Stu-dents are required to select a play production and see it through the entire pro-cess of casting, set-building,

technical effects and more to the final, audience-ready production. “The Glass Menagerie is a timeless piece that people can relate to even in to-day’s society, and almost everyone will re-late to one of the characters in the show,” Hurley said. “From working on my senior project, I have learned that you can never work too far ahead, and always know that ideas can change and that’s okay. Even with the ups and downs, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Peyton Lucas (Jim O’Conner) greets Dr. Susan Vineyard (Amanda Wingfield) as Ethan Sacket (Tom Winfield) looks on.

Karli Osborn (Laura Wingfield) reacts as Dr. Susan Vineyard (Amanda Wingfield) watches.

Hurley directs capstone production

A salsa-making contest was held for a Cinco de Mayo celebration spon-sored by the Spanish Club and Sigma Delta Pi. It took place in Northwest-ern’s Ranger Room on April 26. The contest was open to Northwest-ern employees and students; however,

tasting was open to the general public as well as Northwestern employees, students. Michelle Brown, Matt Fortney and Jenna Castor were the winners. Salsa-making contestants had to prepare their own version of salsa at home before the competition,

Salsa making contest/tasting event held for Cinco de Mayonaming promoting it on a colorful poster. A list of their ingredients was placed next to each salsa bowl. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates the defeat of the French by Mexico at the Battle of Puebla. Mexican troops won the fight on May 5, 1862.

The Spanish Club and Sigma Delta Pi sponsored a Pinata Breaking event in late April to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Many were happy to collect the rewards for the broken pinata at the Pinata Breaking event.

Ana Parra-Concha, Barinas, Ven-ezuela, senior, is the 2017-18 recipient of the Dr. Dorothy Day Spanish Schol-arship from the Northwestern Oklaho-ma State University Spanish program. Parra-Concha is the current president of the Spanish Club and is a member of Psi Sigma, the university’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, a National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. She is majoring in health and sports science and minoring in Spanish. Dr. Francisco Martinez, professor of Spanish, is the sponsor of both or-ganizations. Day, the founder of Northwest-ern’s Spanish program and the person for whom this scholarship is named, began her career at Northwestern in 1988. She was initially hired to teach foreign language and English, but she began the formalized Spanish pro-gram in the fall of 2001. She retired in

2003. To be eligible for this $500 award, students must be full-time continu-ing Spanish students with a mini-mum 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Applicants must be Spanish minors who have completed three se-

mesters of Spanish coursework. The scholarship may be applied toward university-related expenses, such as tuition, fees, room, board or books. Various fundraisers are held by students in the Spanish Club to raise funds for this scholarship.

Parra-Concha awarded Dorothy Day Scholarship

Ana Parra-Concha is presented the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Dorothy Day Spanish Scholarship by Dr. Francisco Martinez.


Eight Northwestern Oklahoma State Uni-versity senior social work majors were placed in practicum agencies in northwest Oklahoma to complete 420 contact hours, demonstrate 31 practice behaviors and master the program’s nine core competencies as outlined by the Council on Social Work Education. “A crucial part of attaining your Bachelor of Social Work degree is the field experience com-ponent,” said Jennifer Pribble, assistant profes-sor of social work and director of social work field education. “This component of the program allows students to develop practitioner skills to become a successful social worker upon gradua-tion.” Each student in their field practicum was as-signed to a field instructor, someone with spe-cific credentials in the agency to reinforce social work ideas, practice behaviors and competen-cies. “Field instructors are a crucial part of the

field practicum experience,” Pribble said. “Field instructors volunteer their time to assist with educating these young professionals. Without their contributions to our students, our program, and the social work profession field practicums would not be possible.” Students in field practicums with hometowns and their practicum agency placements are Si-erra Dezort of Mutual, United Methodist Circle of Care in Woodward; Kanani Jones of Fort Sup-ply, Northwest Substance Abuse Treatment Cen-ter in Waynoka; Dana Kausek of Enid, Millenni-um Community Services in Enid; Denise Lively of Woodward, Western Plains Youth and Fam-ily Services in Woodward; Sierra Miller of Enid, 4RKids Foundation in Enid; Annie Moss of Enid, Department of Human Services in Enid; Mario Perez of El Paso, Texas, Western Plains Youth and Family Services of Woodward; and Levi Sanders of Goltry, Youth and Family Services of North Central Oklahoma in Enid.

Social Work students experience practicums

The junior students were able to spend an afternoon with several children ranging in age from 2-11 and work on their pediatric assessment skills. The children are very special to NWOSU as they are all children/siblings of employees

throughout the university. They learned how to interact with the children and how to assess height, weight, lung/heart sounds and other functions as well as how not to frighten children when completing nursing interventions.

Students assist Concert Series Theatre students were able to help Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series performing acts with each event again during the semester. The Russian String Orchestra performed on Feb. 27. Kimberly Weast, chair of the department of fine arts, and the theatre produc-

tion I class prepared for the group to come in and ran the audio and lights for the performance. For “Flipside: The Patti Page Sto-ry” on April 3, the theatre produc-tion I and II classes helped with the load-in for the group, ran the show, and helped with strike afterwards.

Northwestern alumni, friends and community were invited to “Baseball, Hot Dogs & Apple Pie” on April 17 at the David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid against Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost the game, but a good time was still had by all. Hosted by the Greater Enid Northwestern Alumni Task Force

and the Northwestern Foundation & Alumni Association, “Baseball, Hot Dogs & Apple Pie” is always an opportunity for alumni and friends of the university to cheer the Ranger baseball team. Those in attendance will enjoyed free hot dogs cooked by the Rowdy Rangers and free apple pies provided by McDonalds.

Dr. Wayne McMillin, dean of Northwestern-Enid’s campus, invit-ed all Northwestern Rangers, their family and friends to come out to the ballpark on April 17. “This is a fun annual event with lots to do for families. It’s a great time to catch up with old friends and watch some collegiate baseball,” he said.

A young pitcher gets some practice in with the Rangers.

Baseball, Hot Dogs & Apple Pie event held in Enid

Dr. Jerry Gustafson, professor of business, plays the Star Span-gled Banner.

The ceremonial first pitch is being thrown by Jeffery Walter rep-resenting the Pioneer 8U baseball team.

These baseball fans had a super view of the game. Tucker Hammons got a trip down the 3rd base line to greet the Rangers.

52 Spotlight

International food, culture, dis-plays and performances were the center of enjoyment at Northwest-ern on April 20 during the annual Festival of Cultures. This event brings Northwestern international students together with campus and community members to share food and information about the students’ home countries. “The members of the Interna-tional Student Association worked very hard this semester to bring our annual Festival of Cultures to North-western,” Becca Cook, international academic adviser, said. “Guests expe-rienced a unique dining experience that only comes to this area once a year. They enjoyed various dishes and performances from some of the countries that have brought students to our university. This is a great op-portunity to show these students that we support their cultures and are honored to have them in Alva.” Guests enjoyed a traditional Ni-

gerian dance, a Nepali performance, an African dance, a multi-lingual speech presentation, a solo Spanish singer and two instrumental perfor-mances according to Oluwatoyosi Kaffi, a junior from Lagos, Nigeria, and vice president of the Interna-tional Student Association.

Food, information sharedat campus Festival of Cultures

Jean De Dieu Nshimiyimana and Riskariyani Amin make a statement in their home languages to welcome guests.

Students from Nigeria, Ghana, and Rwanda perform African dance at Festival of Cultures.

issue 6 - spring 2018 spotlight on the bigger picturegraduate, pur-sued a degree in early childhood...

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